RAISE - The Business of Arts Fundraising

Description

The Arts Council is calling for expressions of interest for the next phase of the RAISE initiative for arts organisations, both funded and non-Arts Council funded, that have the potential to raise €100,000 of additional private investment (see definition below) per annum.

The award consists of professional support for the creation of a fundraising strategy through a group consulting process, recruitment and mentoring of a fundraising intern and funding for the retained fundraising intern, as entry level fundraiser, for a two year period in total. The value of support providedto each organisation by the Arts Council will be in the order of €30,000.

Five organisations will be selected from those who submit an expression of interest by 28 June 2013. The programme will commence in August 2013.

What organisations are eligible to apply?

Applications are open to all Arts Council funded and non-Arts Council funded arts organisations in the Republic of Ireland that meet the outlined criteria below.

Delivery Partners

The Arts Council will work with 2into3 in partnership with Diaspora Matters to advise on selection and engage with the nominated arts organisations to build fundraising capacity. 2into3 is a professional services firm with a dedicated focus on addressing the needs and challenges of the not-for-profit sector. Diaspora Matters advises governments, companies, organisations and individuals on how to develop strategies and programmes to connect with their Diasporas.

What support do the selected organisations receive?

Organisations selected to participate will receive:

A customised fundraising strategy developed by the organisation under 2into3’s guidance;

Advice and training on how to build donor networks;

A fundraising intern placed and mentored by 2into3 for an initial 9 month period who is then retained as a fundraiser for a further 15 months;

50% of the fundraiser’s salary funded by the Arts Council for a 2 year period, including 9 months paid internship where applicable.

The value of the support provided to each organisation will be in the order of €30,000.

How to apply?

Expressions of interest should demonstrate how you believe your organisation currently meets, or has the potential to meet, the following criteria.

Submissions will be assessed against these criteria and within a competitive context.

A geographic and artform/practice balance will be considered for the final selection.

1. Ambition and potential to raise an additional €100,000 per annum from private investmentIn order to secure a sufficient return on investment, selected organisations will typically have an annual turnover of between €300,000 and €800,000.

With your submission, please include your organisation’s private investment income for 2012 clearly broken down according to the definition below.

2. Reputation, profile and ability to demonstrate that the public good is being servedFor organisations not currently funded by the Arts Council, quality of artistic output will be assessed.

3. Strength of the management team in terms of leadership, artistic management, business management, strategic thinking and networkingPlease include a summary of senior staff’s employment history and contract arrangements.

Please outline any management transitions that the organisation has experienced in the last three years or expects to experience in the next three years.

4. Standards of governance and the ability of the Board to support the fundraising function

5. Evidence of commitmentPlease make reference to strength of belief and faithfulness in execution over time as illustrated by a relevant example.

Submission Guidelines

Submissions should clearly state ‘Expression of Interest’ and not exceed 5 pages.

Submissions are required to be signed by the Chairperson and Chief Executive of the organisation. Please scan and submit by email a signed cover letter to the address above. While cover letters will typically be an image PDF, please ensure that the expression of interest file is submitted as a text PDF or Word DOC.

Applicants are welcome to attach supporting materials that may further illustrate points put forward in their expression of interest.

An organisation that is not Arts Council funded is requested to include the organisation’s most recent audited accounts.

The total file submitted including the expression of interest document, signed cover letter by the Chairperson and Chief Executive, and any supplementary documentation that an organisation sees fit should not exceed 5MB in total.

The following formats are accepted. However, please ensure that the main expression of interest text is submitted as text PDF or DOC.

Text files - RFT/DOC/DOCX/TXT

Adobe Reader files - PDF

Spreadsheets - XLS/XLSX

Evaluation event

Shortlisted organisations that adequately meet the above criteria and/or demonstrate potential will be invited to present their case at an evaluation event on 18 July 2013. Interested parties should ensure that the appropriate representatives from both the Board and management are available for these dates.

Definition of Private Investment

Private investment = voluntary income + sponsorship

Voluntary Income

Voluntary income comprises gifts that would not normally provide any return to the donor other than the knowledge that someone would benefit from the donation. Voluntary income includes:

Major gifts

Committed and cash giving

Membership subscriptions / Friend schemes

Trusts and foundations

Legacies

Gifts in kind and donated services and facilities

Other

Sponsorship

Sponsorship is more commonly associated with marketing and often includes recognition of the donation.

Sponsorship includes:

Cash

In kind support

Further information

For further information please contact the relevant Head of Artform/Practice at the Arts Council.

Deadline

28 June 2013 at 5pm

How do I apply for this?

Download and read the guidelines available at the top right-hand corner of this page.

Check if there is any mandatory supporting material that must accompany your application. We may provide a template for the supporting material. If so, you can download it from the supporting materials section at the top right-hand corner of this page.

All applications must be made through the online services website. You will be able to upload a wide range of support materials in electronic format along with your application form.

You must be registered with the online services website to make an application. If you are not already registered, we recommend you register for online services as far in advance of the deadline as possible, as it may take five days for your online services registration to be processed.